Jakub Alexander curates the music selections here at the blog. He also runs his Moodgadet record label out of Brooklyn, NY and does A&R for Ghostly International Records.
Links:Moodgadget RecordsJakub's Tumblr

There are plenty of tracks I keep in my arsenal if I need an escape, i’ll be adding this one from People’s Palms. It brings the light in with a bit of haze, sort of slows down whatever you’re doing and invites you into its own groove.

Oakland-based musician Austin Freese aka People’s Palms makes his Hush Hush debut with the cinematic 10-track album ‘Habitatual,’ his third album under the moniker and his first official label release. A thoroughly hypnotic affair heavily influenced by the natural world, the album organically swims through a fantastic mosaic of mallet instruments, long form guitar swells, found sound, and his trusty Yamaha CS-50. Piecing together unique field recordings captured over the last three years during mundane everyday life as well as exotic international travels, and then patiently adding his own instrumental flourishes, ‘Habitatual’ carries a transportive sound that quietly shifts through downtempo, ambient, and New Age styles while simultaneously floating free of rigid genre confines. Shades of Steve Reich, Boards of Canada, and early Tortoise peak through his richly-detailed tapestries, creating a meditative imaginary soundtrack ideal to compliment unexpected excursions. A subtle yet consistent global influence further enhances People’s Palms’ exploratory productions, fueled by a fascination with the globalization of music and traditional international rhythms sparked through his own travels as well as the interconnectivity of our online generation. Fitting right at home on the introspective-inclined Seattle-based label Hush Hush Records, the blissful sonic world People’s Palms has created with ‘Habitatual’ yields a dreamy, immersive, and mesmerizing listening experience.

“Epoch” is the latest single from Scott Hansen’s continually expanding project Tycho and the keystone of the forthcoming album. The new album is at once a departure and an evolution for Tycho; honing the sonic aesthetic of Dive while drawing on the kinetic energy of Awake, it explores darker themes and new musical territory.

We are living in a golden age of sound technology. The tools we have at our disposal today were only a dream just a decade ago. The industry has found the balance between the power and flexibility of digital and the character and nuance of analog. People generally focus on the end result, but for most musicians, producers and engineers, the process is the product and the tools are the enablers.
The following is an off-the-top-of-my-head gear list for this record, my favorite tools, created by the brilliant engineers who make what we do as recording artists possible.
I used a bunch of other things but these are the standouts, stuff I couldn’t do without. “Best” means “in my opinion this is the best I’ve used, personally” and “new” means “new to me, like I got it less than 18 months ago”. Feel free to ask questions about specific applications and I’ll do my best to answer. Would love to hear your favorites as well.

**DISCLAIMER: In this post I’m mentioning some high end (read: expensive) gear. But I want any of you who are just starting out to know that you should never think that expensive equipment is an answer to anything. All it does it add, incrementally, to your sound. A good engineer / producer should be able to produce quality recordings without the use of boutique or prohibitively expensive gear. I used inexpensive equipment for many, many years before saving up for and spending the time to understand higher level recording equipment. Of course, with the right tools a job can become easier, but it’s not impossible without them (but do invest in a good preamp before anything, that’s really the most important thing). That being said, after 18 years as a recording engineer and musician, these ended up being my go-to tools for this record.

Best New gear overall

Kemper Profiling Amp

Best New FX Unit overall: Strymon Blue Sky

Best New Synth: Korg Minilogue

Best New Old Synth: Moog New Minimoog Model D (can’t believe they actually did it. Just got it a week ago, somehow even better than my original 1972 Model D)
Dangerous 2-Bus+ (if you’re looking for analog summing, this is it)
Rupert Neve Designs Portico II Channel (the perfect balance of color and clarity, a modern classic)

Synths

Most used: Korg Minilogue

Late bloomer: Korg MS-20 (original)

Indispensable newcomer: Sequential Circuits Prophet 5

Staying power: Minimoog Model D (orignal 1972)

Deprecated: Access Virus C (we had a good run, but now I’m using the Kemper — same designer — so I feel we’re even)

Honorable mention: Korg Arp Odyssey

Preamps

Rediscovered an old favorite: Universal Audio 6716

Sadly underutilized: Chandler LTD-1

EQ

Trident 80B 500 Series

Guitars

Got a Gibson Les Paul after having an Epiphone Les Paul for years. Now I get why they’re so expensive.

Hardware

New Favorites: Strymon Timeline and Blue Sky

Stalwart: Ursa Major SST-282

Best new output conversion: Dangerous Convert-8

Best new input conversion: Lynx Aurora 16

Best adapter: Lynx AES16e

Best mixer: Neve 542

Underappreciated: Empirical Labs Distressor EL8-X

Software Instruments

Native Instruments Monark (as close as you’re ever going to get to a Mini in the digital domain)